GOST certification is an effective quality certification system within the Russian Federation (also known as GOST - R certification). Products produced abroad and imported into Russia should meet the national quality standards of Russia, that is, pass the GOST certification. ГОСТ (Государственный общесоюзный стандарт) in Russian means "All - Union State Standard".

What is GOST Certification?

According to the laws of the former Soviet Union, if goods are within the scope of mandatory certification, they should be certified in accordance with the current safety regulations and obtain the Conformity Certificate of the Russian National Standard. There are two types of Conformity Certificates: the Batch Delivery Certificate and the Mass - Production Certificate. The Batch Delivery Certificate is only valid for one batch of products for exporters. Since Russia does not recognize laboratories in China, it cannot be issued in China. The Mass - Production Certificate is very suitable for Chinese enterprises. Once the factory inspection is passed, the products are allowed to be sold in Russia within the three - year validity period. If the exporting enterprise does not carry out product certification, it will be very inconvenient when the goods arrive in the destination country. The enterprise has to pay the customs inspection fee and the customs warehouse storage fee. The cost may exceed the profit of this transaction, and it takes a long time. Moreover, products without certificates are not allowed to be sold in the market. For enterprises, obtaining the certification certificate of the former Soviet countries can not only directly sell products in the market, but also set up commissioned sales or direct sales in Russia, and can also solve the problem of using certificates in the long term. Once the certification is passed, within the three - year validity period, for each batch of exported products, obtaining a copy of the certificate can be used as a valid proof to ensure export and market sales. Thirdly, the use of the mandatory certification mark of Russia can enhance the value of products and provide a credibility guarantee for enterprises to open up the Russian market.

After the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, the CIS countries have successively introduced their own ГОСТ certification certificates, basically still using the former Soviet standards. Therefore, the ГОСТ standard is also called the Soviet standard.

Note: ГОСТ (государственный стандарт) in Russian means "national standard". ГОСТ - Р, "P" stands for "россия (Russia)" in Russian.

The Significance of GOST Certification

The GOST certificate is an essential document for handling the customs formalities of goods exported to Russia and for selling in the Russian market. Products without a GOST certificate are simply not allowed to be sold in the Russian market, and importers attach great importance to obtaining the GOST Conformity Certificate. However, in practice, it is often the exporter who handles the GOST certification procedures.

For Chinese enterprises, on the one hand, after obtaining the Russian GOST certificate and the sanitary certificate, they can set up commissioned sales or direct sales in Russia, and there will also be a greater price advantage. Secondly, it can solve the problem of using certificates in the long term. Once the certification is passed, within the three - year validity period, for each batch of exported products, obtaining a copy of the certificate can be used as a valid proof to ensure export and sales in the Russian market. Thirdly, the GOST Conformity Certificate is not only a condition for passing through the Russian customs, but also helps the company's products to open up the market in Russia, enhance the value of products, and provide a credibility guarantee for enterprises to open up the Russian market.

When many foreign companies introduce their products in the Russian mass media or at exhibitions, they often emphasize that these products have passed the necessary certification procedures. This is because Russian importers have sufficient choices, and they will naturally give priority to certified products. This will enable them to confirm that the products meet the specified safety requirements before signing the contract, and there will be no problems when handling customs formalities and selling goods. The lack of Russian certification for goods often becomes a major obstacle to signing foreign trade contracts.

Goods Requiring GOST Certification

The current product certification system in Russia is based on the current labor protection law and the law on protecting the interests of consumers, aiming to ensure that goods do not pose a hazard to human health and the environment. According to the potential hazards that goods may cause to consumers, the Russian State Standard Committee determines which goods must pass mandatory certification and which can be voluntarily certified.

There are many types of goods subject to mandatory certification, including food, tobacco, cosmetics, perfume, personal hygiene products, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, clothing and footwear, household products and home appliances, furniture, toys, audio - visual products, telecommunications products, tools, means of transportation, gasoline and grease, chemical products, mechanical products, etc.

By comparing these products with the structure of Chinese exports to Russia, it can be found that most of the products exported by China to Russia are within the scope of mandatory certification. Therefore, it is very necessary for Chinese exporters to understand the Russian certification system.

According to Russian law, if goods are within the scope of mandatory certification, whether they are produced in Russia or imported, they should be certified in accordance with the current safety regulations and obtain the Conformity Certificate of the Russian National Standard (abbreviated as the GOST Conformity Certificate). Products without a GOST certificate cannot be sold in the market, and for many imported products, they cannot even pass through the customs.

Documents Required for Applying for GOST

· Name of product and description;

· Custom Tariff Code;

· Copy of the register record of company and its translation;

· Reference to the manufacturer's web site;

· Instruction manual in Russian or English;

· Copy of available Certificates (ISO, ATEX, etc);

· Name of End User;

· Scope of supply;

· General arrangement drawing and diagrams;

· Product data sheets and specification;

· Certification requirements if known by your client (one - off GOST R/GOST K/GOST U/etc, one - off FSETAN - ex GGTN/GGTN K/etc, 3 - year type GOST R/GOST K/GOST U/etc, 3 - year type FSETAN/GGTN K etc).

Scope of Products Subject to GOST Mandatory Certification

In 1996 and 1999, the State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation twice announced the "List of Goods Requiring a Mandatory Certification Certificate for Entry into the Customs Territory of the Russian Federation", mainly including: food, home appliances, electronic products, light industrial products, cosmetics, furniture, toys, ceramics, etc. By comparing with the goods exported by China to Russia, it can be seen that most of the products exported by China to Russia are within the scope of mandatory certification. Animal products must also have an animal quarantine certificate, and food must also have a sanitary certificate.

On July 1, 2010, Russia cancelled the sanitary certificate and replaced it with the "Registration Certificate" of the Customs Union.

Regulation No. 304 in 2009: List of Mandatory Fire - Fighting Products (перечень продукции по пожарному регламенту)

On September 25, 2010, Russia implemented Decree No. 753: "Technical Regulations on the Safety of Mechanical Equipment" (《ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЙ РЕГЛАМЕНТ о безопасности машин и оборудования》)

Application Procedure for GOST

The Russian importer shall apply to the Expertise Union of the Autonomous Non - Commercial Organization of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (SOEX) for a tax - free document for a single import with the product data of the imported products. The product data to be attached are as follows:

· Contract and invoice of the imported products;

· The local product classification code (OKP) in Russia and the "Harmonized System Code (HS Code)" of the product;

· Technical data of the product.